In a congratulatory message, United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he has great optimism
about the presidency of Barack Obama, particularly his goals aimed
at fighting climate change and finding alternative energy sources.
He also lauded Mr. Obama’s aims to work on improving agriculture
and availability of clean water, fight hunger, and improve
education.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak urged Mr.
Obama to make the crisis in the Middle East an “urgent priority.”
Mr. Mubarak has been involved in efforts to negotiate a truce
between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr
Mottaki said Mr. Obama should change U.S. policy in the Middle East
to improve America’s image in the region.

Cuban President Raul Castro Wednesday said
Mr. Obama “seems like a good good man,” and wished him good luck.
Mr. Obama has pledged to ease limits on the number of trips
Cuban-Americans can make to Cuba, and on the money they can send to
relatives on the island.

While expressing a willingness to speak
with Cuba’s leaders, Mr. Obama has he will maintain the nearly
50-year-old embargo on the island as leverage to push for
democratic change. Mr. Castro has expressed a willingness to
discuss the issue with Mr. Obama.

Chinese state-run media expressed concern
about the future of China-U.S. relations. An editorial in the
official “China Daily” newspaper published Wednesday says President
Obama’s previous statements suggest he may see China as a
competitor.

China’s Defense Ministry called on Mr.
Obama to improve military relations and halt weapons sales to
Taiwan.

Prime Minister Taro Aso

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said he
is ready to work closely with Mr. Obama, particularly on efforts to
confront the global economic crisis.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani expressed confidence that
Mr. Obama will help the United States lead the way in overcoming
the challenges confronting humanity. Washington considers Islamabad
a major ally in the battle against terrorism.

Former South African leader Nelson Mandela
said in a letter to Mr. Obama that the new president’s
inauguration inspired the same sense of hope the world felt when
South Africa defeated apartheid.

Lawmakers in Britain erupted in cheers
Wednesday when British Prime Minister Gordon Brown congratulated
Mr. Obama during his weekly parliamentary address. Mr. Brown added
that his nation, already a staunch ally, will strengthen its
relationship with the United States.

Pope Benedict and the Dalai Lama also
congratulated the new president.

In Kenya, people danced and sang in the
village of Kogelo, where Mr. Obama’s father was born. Many also
watched the new U.S. president’s swearing-in on a giant television
screen in the country’s capital, Nairobi.

In Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, one
resident, Mowlid Abdi Abdullah, told VOA he hopes the first
African-American U.S. president will help bring peace to Somalia, a
nation plagued by Islamic militants and humanitarian disasters.